Niu Gao sat back down, panting heavily, his chest still rising and falling slightly.
Tai Tan also sat down in silence, his head hanging low. Once his anger faded, all that remained was a heart full of conflicting feelings.
The air in the hall grew somewhat stagnant. Seeing this, Bai He gave two dry coughs to break the silence, then looked at Niu Gao and said gently:
"All right, all right, Old Rhino, Old Gorilla, both of you calm down."
"We old fellows only get together once every three years. What kind of behavior is this, always arguing over these things?"
He shifted the subject, his gaze settling on Niu Gao with a hint of curiosity:
"Old Rhino, since your Defense Clan has acknowledged a new master, why not tell us who this new master is? And how strong are they?"
Niu Gao's expression eased considerably at his words. He looked at Bai He and said:
"You're the reasonable one, Old White Bird. I only lost my temper because Old Gorilla accused me of betraying my principles!"
"I, Niu Gao, have lived most of my life, and loyalty is what I value most. When have I ever betrayed it?"
He paused, raising his voice slightly with deliberate emphasis:
"My new master is a genuine direct descendant of the Clear Sky Sect!"
"What?"
At those words, Tai Tan abruptly raised his head and stared straight at Niu Gao.
A direct descendant of the Clear Sky Sect? How was that possible?
"Old Rhino, stop lying to us. The Clear Sky Sect's direct descendants are just the brothers Tang Hao and Tang Xiao, and the one who can't-"
Tai Tan suddenly stopped halfway through. Judging by Niu Gao's tone just now, he could not possibly have submitted to either Tang Xiao or Tang